49ers coordinator calls Tank Carradine 'damn near elite' at new role

Tank Carradine very much remains in a battle to make the 49ers roster while the team sorts through its talented group along the defensive line.

But Carradine appears to have a good shot at making the team, even after San Francisco invested the third-overall pick in April’s NFL draft in a player at the same position.

“I think he’s damn near an elite six-technique,” first-year coordinator Robert Saleh said Thursday of Carradine, a second-round selection in 2013. “To be able to create pocket push from an edge, I think that’s where his home is. There’s no shame in that, I think he’s pretty freaking good at it.”

The 49ers have an apparent abundance of pass rushers, even though only Aaron Lynch (two) and rookie Pita Taumoepenu (one) have logged sacks from the front seven during two preseason games (safety Jaquiski Tartt is responsible for the fourth).

Carradine appears to be fending off Solomon Thomas for the top “big” defensive end role lining up on the strong side of the formation. Carradine’s also gotten work as an interior pass rusher in sub packages, as has Thomas.

“He had some success with (rushing inside) with Denver,” said Saleh. “But, as a six (technique), dominating tight ends and being able to transition from run thought to pass on first and second down, I don’t know if you’ll find much better than that in the league.”

Carradine, of course, has been known for struggling to fit in San Francisco’s various schemes during his three seasons after missing his first recovering from an ACL tear. The 49ers bulked him up to near 300 pounds to play along the interior in a 3-4, where he was clearly out of place his first two seasons.

The Florida State alum in 2016 converted to outside linebacker, dropping some 25 pounds, where he was asked to rush from the edges like he did in college. The only problem: That position also required dropping into pass coverage, where Carradine was also out of his element.

Now the 49ers are running a 4-3 for the first time since Dennis Erickson was head coach in 2004. And Carradine appears to fit well. He’s unsigned beyond the season and seems motivated to have a big campaign.

But he’ll have to stand out among a crowded group. The 49ers have a number of options to rush along the edges, like Lynch, Thomas, Arik Armstead, Elvis Dumervil, Ahmad Brooks and Eli Harold.

It’s a good problem to have, particularly after San Francisco pressured quarterbacks on just 22.6 percent of passing plays last season, the second-lowest rate in the NFL, according to Football Outsiders.

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